I responded to a call for proofreaders at the beginning of the year that had been placed in my editors network and then nearly forgot about it as I prepared for the one work trip that I ended up taking this year.
I was sitting in my hotel room with a colleague when I saw the email from Ministry Pass saying they’d filled the proofreading project, but asking if I’d be interested in helping with another project they were about to go forward with—adapting sermon outlines into lessons for children.
Their response wasn’t only unexpected, it was even better than I’d hopped for when I first responded to their email. Youth ministry has always been an important part of my life, both as a student and then later on as an adult. It’s because of my time working with middle school and high school students that I first wanted to write for these young readers. And I’d been praying about new ministry opportunities just like this one.
Then came COVID and word from one of the small publishers I’d worked with the past few years informed me they needed to scale back. Like many this year, I had a brief bit of panic wondering how I’d make up the lost income. And like He always does, God said, “Wait and watch to see what I will do.”
Since finishing up the children’s series, Ministry Pass has kept me busy writing brand new guides from scratch. And the things I’ve learned about in the process have not only broadened my understanding of God’s vision for the church, but opened my eyes to the little things we do every day that make a big difference to those around us. And it has been both challenging and incredible.
A couple days ago, while sitting at my desk, I heard the tell-tale signs of the mail carrier climbing up my staircase. I wasn’t expecting anything, so I assumed it was for my neighbor. It wasn’t. On my doorstep was an unexpected brown box from Ministry Pass. Inside was a note that hit me in all the feels and a thermal coffee mug that is both my favorite color and the perfect size for me. Bonus: it has a handle!
2020 has been a year of the unexpected. But, for as hard as it’s been, it hasn’t been a complete disaster. And for as uncertain as 2021 still looks to be, I know that it will be filled with some pretty unexpected and incredible opportunities for all of us. We just have to be willing to wait, watch, and trust.
Our writing journeys might not always take us were we want to go, but I’ve discovered that they generally take us where we need to go.
—Jen